The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
THE FIELDS OF LABOR.
SWINroN PRESENTS A CAREFUL,
SURVEY OF THE SITUATION.
Recent Significant Strike Failures
Mr.. Powderly's Influence and Atti-
tude-The Labor Party in Politics.


NEW YORK, Aug. 30-The portentous
changes which have been going on in the
Labor movement" are not yet at an end. as
we see from recent events. They bear upon
it as an organized body, as a political agency
and as a regulator of wages and conditions
OF labor. In all these respects it has become
evident that some deep and widespread in
huences are at work.
The number of strikes that have col
lapsed since the beginning of the year is far
greater than that of any other recent year.
The Labor Commissioner for New York, in
his last official report, shows that three
quarters of the strikes of the previous year
III this State were successful, but it is a fact
that the statistics gathered by Brad
present time, show that over three
fourths of all the strikes of the
present year have come to grief In fact,
out of SOC, 600 strikers so far this wear, not
more than $4,000 have gained any
such advantage as to be deserving of
the name of success. We have to go
back many years to find anything that looks
like precedent in this dismal state of
things. Among the twelve or fourteen large
strikes of this year it is hard to mention
any genuine success, other than the strike
of the bricklayers of Chicago, who not only
secured the eight-hour rule for their trade
but established method of settling future
disputes with their employers. And the
bad luck continues up to this day The
great strike in the cotton mills at Cohoas
has just broken down simultaneously with
the strike of the leather workers at Newark.
It has been among the unluckiest of years
for strikers, whether they were coke makers
and miners in Pennsylvania, shoemakers in
Massachusetts, or coal and freight handlers
in New Jersey and New York 1t
is common notion, which is prob
ably correct, that this bad luck
is largely attributable to the new practice
of combination for resistance by employers
The shoe manufacturers of Massachusetts,
combined against their wage workers; the
coke and coal corporations of PENNSYLVANIA
did the same thing; SO did the leather man
ufacturers of Newark, and a similar prac-
tice has been adopted in scores of other
cases, as every reader of the newspapers is
aware. The combination of the Chicago
Master Builders failed in the stand they
took, and the combination of the stove
manufacturers cannot boast of having
scored a victory but these are merely ex-
ceptional to the rule The weight of
the combined capital in any given industry
has almost always proved too heavy for the
labor and its service.
The influence of these facts upon labor or
CARNATIONS during the present year have
been calamitous. The largest of all great
organizations-th Knights of Labor-have,
within a year, lost much more than half its
membership. In New York, New JERSEY,
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecti-
cut the falling Off has reached very nearly
two-thirds, and in some of the Western
States the ratio is fully as high. These state
ments are based either upon official figures
published by district assemblies or upon
the votes cast at the recent cleo
tons for delegates to the General
Assembly. The total membership that will
be there represented is likely to fall short of
SOC, 900, and though even this is proof that
the Knights are yet large body, it is any
thing but fulfillment of the promises of
last year, when Mr.. Powderly boosted of
twice the strength, and when the feod-tide
had to be checked by the famous halt"
But far more serious than this alarming de-
cline are the chickering's by which the organ
ization. has been demoralized in many
quarters, not only in such cities as Chicago,
Philadelphia, Boston, and New York, but
in lesser places like Hartford, Newark, De-
troit, Brockton, Denver, etc, as well as
outlying locals here and there.
The ranks are being weakened and under
mined by internal dissension upon matters
the trades assembly question, upon the ac-
tion of the executive board, which is but
feeble, dictatorial, upon the pay of officials,
upon the management. of strikes, upon the
heavy taxes at all times, and the slight dis
bursements in special cases, upon the hand
ling of the funds, upon the numerous
failures to sustain the brethren i'll their
battles upon the Vaccinations of the Home
club" and upon sundry peculiar notions
oh I'D h1r Mr..
the organization is further weakened just
now by the hostile attitude toward the most
powerful trade unions, including the
Brotherhood of Carpenters, the Cigarmak-
erS international Union, Amalgamated As
ISOLATION Of Steel and Iron Workers, and
the bodies in the rival Federation Of Labor.
The recent election of national delegates in
half dozen of the chief cities of the coun-
try have shown the effects of these dissen-
sions and chickering's, so much so that there
is prospect of the overthrow of the Gen
eral Board, the new constitution, and the
legislation of last year at the convention
which will be held in few weeks hence.
THE MOST ASTOUNDING SIGN
of the changes in progress has Just been
given by the detection Of the notorious Dis
trict Assembly No. 40, of New York from
its allegiance to the Powderly administra-
tration. This district, the membership of
TnlCn mas fallen on one nall since the last
convention. and which for years has been
Mr. Powderly's main support has elected
opposition delegates, dethroned the Home
Club, and struck for changes that imply a
reversal of the policy now predominant at
headquarters 1t is not easy for those who
are outside of the organization TO compre-
bend the full meaning of the revolt thus
carried to success in the district referred to,
but it will be seen at the convention in
October next. 1t is possible that Powderly
may be able to hold on yet another year to
the Office which gives him a salary ten times
greater than is received by majority of
the members of the Knights of Labor, but
even this has lately become doubtful His
reliance is upon the fact that there is no
other really popular candidate in the field.
1t is yet in the power of this remarkable
organization of the Knights of Labor to
recover the strength which it lost, and to
put stop to the chickering's and dissensions
by which it has lately been distracted; but
these ends can be gained only by a larger
craftsmanship than is now displayed by its
managers.
The ''lahor organs" of the country have
been among the sufferers by the changes in
the labor field. At the beginning of last
year there were over 200 Of them in the
United States; at the present time their
number is less than hundred, and at least
one-half Of these are on the verge OF extinc-
ton.
LABOR POLITICS.
Pt- A. ,,,,e,, etr;Linor gion IF the